The Qunari's Conundrum
by Natmonkey
Summary: Sten contemplates the strange desires he has been suffering from as of late. A companion piece to Astoreth does Ferelden 18, but may just as easily be read on its own.


_An accompanying piece to the first chapter of AdF18. I would like to dedicate this to **voltagelisa**, who seems to be rooting for this pairing the most. It's coming, I swear._

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><p><strong>The Qunari's Conundrum<strong>

He has begun having dreams of her lately. Her delicate skin bruised from his rough touch, she is still begging him for more; he is more than happy to give it to her. She mewls like a kitten as her soft, wet flesh stretches apart to grant him access. Somehow he is fully buried in her, embraced by her moist walls. He isn't gentle with her now either. She loves it. Her pleasured screams ring in his ears and her nails drag down his back as he fucks her with wild abandon. Closer and closer his ending approaches, the muscles in his core tightening. This is usually the part where he wakes up, more often than not covered in his own seed.

Sten sits up and cradles his head in his hands. He doesn't understand his desire for her. At first he discarded her as little more than a child, playing at being a Grey Warden. Reckless, foolish, impulsive. And a _Bas Saarebas_ to make it even worse. But she has proven herself capable to stand in battle with him. Against him, even, although her magic gives her an unfair edge. Not that the same point couldn't be made of his sheer size and strength as opposed to her short stature. She learns quickly, wielding sword and shield with ever increasing expertise.

There is more to the woman than martial and magical prowess, however. Becoming a mother has calmed her down considerably, brought out her tender, caring side even more. Sten can attest to that personally. The worry was plain to see in her eyes as she examined him, thinking he was ill. He certainly was feeling ill, but it had nothing to do with the cold she suspected. The gentle firmness of her massaging hands had his mind reeling. He was fighting the urge to grab the girl's small body and skewer her to his raging hard-on. Sten grunts. He was a fool to listen to that dog; he should never have gone through her belongings. Finding her plaything, the scent of her sex still clinging to the metal, has been his undoing.

It is her scent that haunts him. Not her well-rounded figure in clinging, revealing robes, accentuating all the right places; not the tiny whimpers bubbling up from her throat as he had happened upon her pleasuring herself in the woods and stayed to watch; not even the feel of her soft body in his arms as she sobbed by the fire. When was it that he began to hold the Grey Warden in such high esteem? Upon the return of Asala, of course. A seemingly impossible task – a needle in a haystack, as humans would say – and she accomplished it as if it had been no more difficult than breathing. From that day on she was no longer a foolish little girl, but his _kadan_.

It was as if up until that moment he'd had scales before his eyes, only to be removed after the act she had performed out of the kindness of her heart. She was in no way obligated to return his sword, his soul to him. Most wouldn't have, after the way he had treated her. The Grey Warden has, in a way, kindled a measure of affection in him. But that is the strange part. It is not the Qunari way to engage in sexual acts as an expression of affection. Sexual acts are merely a tool for reproduction. They aren't even truly pleasurable. Sten wasn't lying to Morrigan about that. The armour, the helmet, the hot poker, yes, those were lies. Not the lack of pleasure to the Qunari act. He had taken absolutely no enjoyment in being in the breeding programme.

He has caught himself wondering more than once why humans place so much value on expressing themselves in such a physical manner. These millions of _Bas_ can't all be wrong, unenlightened though they are. Perhaps if done right… Sten shakes his head. No. Worrying about all this serves him no purpose. In his folly he gave his _kadan_ some of his blood to restore her to health and this has proved disastrous; it nearly killed her. Thankfully, her colleague's blood did manage to restore some colour to her ashen cheeks. And yet her situation has not improved. The Grey Warden still lies unconscious. She may still die. Her faithful hound refuses to leave her side for more than a few moments. The giant has the sneaking suspicion that if his master dies, the mabari will soon follow after.

Sten steps out of bed, absently dresses. It has been days and the woman has not woken. Her physician tells them her vital signs are in good order. So why is she still sleeping? Nobody knows. It might be her mind keeping her under, to help her body heal quicker. She has been through much, even though she has been determined not to show it. Finding her in tears by the campfire nearly broke his heart. Aware of the human fondness of touch, Sten cradled her against his chest and rocked her until she was no longer crying. Astounding how effective these nursery techniques – as he has seen the Tamassran perform – could be on an adult.

He likes to think that it has helped her, considering how she has secretly become romantically (or maybe only physically?) involved with her fellow Warden. Perhaps the Qunari had already become all too attached to her when he heard the amorous sounds through the door of her bedroom. Of course he could have returned later to give the girl the repaired item he had damaged in their duel, but instead, Sten had decided to interrupt their activities. Her appearance at the door – dishevelled, dismayed and barely dressed – had confused him. There was something about the fire in her eyes that spoke to him in some primordial way, or was it something else entirely? Now that he thinks back on it, it was then that he had picked up the scent of her sex for the first time. It was only that he didn't know what it was.

And now here he is, confused and annoyed at his desire for her. Will he ever be rid of it? He doesn't know. Truly, genuinely doesn't know. It may well be that the only cure for this condition is a fulfilment of his desires, which hardly even seems an option. While he could have gone with the others and taken his mind off this quandary, Sten has opted to meditate on the issue instead. And in his heart of hearts, he is still hoping she will wake up with only him there to receive the good news. He can hardly imagine a better moment to inform her of his wishes, if he can find the words. The giant isn't even sure whether it would be a good idea to tell her. Probably not. The Grey Warden barely reaches up to his chest; odds are that relations between them would be physically impossible. But oh, how he would like to put this to the test.

Suddenly he finds himself outside her chambers. When did he even leave his room? Sten shakes his head. This is getting ridiculous. Then he hears her voice and shakes his head again. Could it be? The Qunari pushes open the door; he freezes. There she is, wide awake and speaking to her dog, with her healer looking on in amusement. The mabari immediately notices him and finds it necessary to alert his mistress to his presence. The healer, who appears to be intimidated by Sten without ever having been given a proper reason, mumbles an excuse and leaves. The hound runs up to Sten: "The lady is awake!" He rubs himself against the giant's legs. "Aren't you happy now? I'm _so_ happy! Yay!"

The Grey Warden looks at her faithful hound and smiles. "Aw, you've become such good friends, haven't you?" The sound of her voice, after such a long silence, is like beautiful music. Her eyes flit to Sten; the shallow wrinkles next to them deepen.

"Yes," replies the mabari with his tongue happily lolling out of his mouth, even though he knows perfectly well that his mistress can't understand a word he says.

Sten, meanwhile, has come out of his initial shock and gathers the newly awakened patient into his embrace, deeply breathing her in. Honeyed milk and lilac blossoms; her scent mirrors her personal sweetness. At long last he manages to find his tongue: "It is good to see you awake again, _kadan_." He prays she can't hear the hoarseness in his voice. "For a while it seemed as if we were going to lose you."

Her light chuckle so close to his ear reverberates deep in his gut. "I'm told you tried to save me." The laughter is evident in her tone. "So, thank you, but please don't try that again."

Gingerly he sets the girl down. "Yes, I was a fool to think that would work." This is it. It is now or never. The moment has arrived. The Qunari carefully grasps her chin and gazes deep into her eyes. The genuine affection that slumbers in those dark orbs bodes rather well. "_Kadan_, I…" He falls silent.

"Yes?" She looks upon him with such indulgence on her face, as if she were regarding a child. It is both irritating and endearing. Her touch on his arm feels impossibly hot, electrifying almost. "It's all right, whatever it is you want to say." Is it really? The sweet smile on her lips may wither when she hears what he has to say.

Sten takes a deep breath. "_Kadan_, I…" _I desire you. Come to bed with me_. "I used your money to buy cookies," is what finally leaves his mouth. _Vashedan!_ The moment has passed and he has failed to seize the opportunity.

"That's good." A confused expression briefly passes over her features. "I told you I'd buy you new ones." The smile on her face widens, the affection in her eyes doubling.

"Yes." What can he do now? Nothing. "I should let you dress." Idly his gaze leaves her face to travel down her body. It is only then that he notices how her nightgown is slightly transparent; she appears to be wearing nothing underneath. Through the ivory cotton the giant perceives the dark tinge of her nipples and the sable fur between her thighs. The heady scent of her arousal drifts into his nostrils, stronger than ever. His pulse begins pounding in his temples. The Warden's whimper, slight though it is, is almost deafening to his ears. Led by instinct, Sten takes a step towards the woman. He wants her. He needs her. He must have her.

But no. He cannot. The little thing has only barely recovered, lucid and vital though she may seem. This is no time to subject her to more potential injury. And so he turns and abruptly leaves the room. "Huh? Where are you going?" he hears that foolish dog say; the girl herself says nothing. Sten rushes to his personal chambers. There is not a moment to lose; he must take care of the pressure in his groin before it drives him mad. Leaning his back against the door, the Qunari reaches into his trousers and fumbles for the organ that is giving him such grief. It is so engorged, it barely yields under his squeezing fingers. How could this fit inside her small body? That doesn't stop his imagination from running wild, though. In his mind's eye she slowly strips off her gown, first revealing her shapely shoulders and then her heavy breasts. He envisions himself ripping away the fabric from sheer impatience. Sten's hand flies up and down his rigid length while lascivious images tumble through his brain.

The Grey Warden bent over before him, moaning in pleasure as he pounds into her again and again, roughly pinching her nipples. The feel of her wet flesh tightly hugging his throbbing cock. Her nails digging bloody furrows down his back while she sits on his lap and wildly rides him. The hoarseness of her voice, screaming his name. The idea of her little face contorted with unadulterated ecstasy finally pushes him over the edge. With a loud grunt, the Qunari spills his seed on the ground. His chest is still heaving with ragged breaths when Sten finally opens his eyes. The corners of his mouth are subtly turned upwards as he recalls the distinct lust in her gaze, her longingly parted lips just before he rushed from her room. So the feeling is mutual. Perhaps all is not lost after all.


End file.
